


Flames burned auburn

by hystericalselcouth



Series: And if the sky fills up with fire and smoke [1]
Category: The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-28
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-20 01:17:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3631191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hystericalselcouth/pseuds/hystericalselcouth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A soft tap on his shoulder and a whisper replied, "Then, we shall burn together."</p><p>When Thranduil sees his first dragon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flames burned auburn

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything, I don't make any profits from this.   
> Yes, and that title is from Ed Sheeran's 'I See Fire'.

Thranduil stared at the fire in front of him. The border settlements had been burnt to ashes. The few survivors were being helped out of the rubble by the soldiers.  
They were too late. Only a few other towns remained at the border, a short distance away. They had to be warned but Thranduil wanted to see the few left alive out of this safely. He had left with his rescue patrol the moment the news had reached the palace.  
Dragons,, they had said. He knew not if they had spoken true, but seeing the barren earth of black ash, he did not believe any of his foes were capable of such vast destruction.   
Standing at the edge of Greenwood's forests, this is what he saw of his lands. He had visited this very settlement only a fortnight ago on patrol, and had made friends with some of the locals there.  
He snapped his eyes shut as memories of merry times with innocent elves, laughter and the glow of nights passed engulfed him. When he blinked his eyes open, he saw his soldiers walk towards him through the ash, ash of those memories.   
Once again, he zoned out.  
"Thranduil?"  
He found his best friend and right-hand-man, Celegon, grasping his forearm.  
"Ay, Celegon " Thranduil sighed.  
"We have done all that we can here. We must go and warn the other settlements of a possible attack."  
"Yes, we must," still staring at the grey before his eyes.  
"Thranduil," Celegon said in a softer voice, "we must leave. There was nothing you could have done, we came as fast as we could."  
"If only I had been a little faster,....." Thranduil urged.  
"I think we should prevent another such situation by moving faster, now."  
With one last long glance and a sorrowful sigh, he turned around and marched into the forest.

"Go! Leave now! I will come with the children!"  
"My Lord! You must come!" came the voice from across the burning house.  
"No, GO, NOW!"  
A sudden blast of smoke from his left interrupted his conversation, and seizing the opportunity , he turned towards the nursery in flames behind him to seek out the wailing babies.  
No sooner has he emerged with the screaming infants than another wave of heat hit him. He saw Celegon running towards him through the rubble in flames. Moving as fast as he could, he reached him and handed the babies over to the latter.  
Right at that moment, both were knocked off their feet. Reeling with anger, revenge and hate, Thranduil stood up and turned away from the forest. What he saw made his heart skip a beat. Flames, flames of orange and gold, blue and red rose up before him, and through those flames of hell, he saw it.   
The great dark form of a winged dragon flew moved towards him.  
"It..it wants ..... me.."  
"Thranduil!" The call of his friend seemed to come from a more distant place.  
"Go!" He managed to yell, "save the homeless, take them back! Run!"  
"You must come now!"  
"No," he yelled back, "It's here for ME! Escape while you can!"  
Then, time seemed to still. More fire and smoke climbed higher and higher in the sky. Thranduil fell to his knees.  
"Oh Adar, forgive me if I have not proved worthy of being your son. These flames shall spare me the shame!"  
A soft tap on his shoulder and a whisper replied, "Then, we shall burn together."

Amidst the flames rising in the sky, Oropher and Thranduil ran towards the forest line.  
Just as the line of tress engulfed them, there was another, more powerful and dizzying wave of heat that raced behind to them.  
Thranduil stopped, his eyes wide with glazed terror. Then, he turned. Sword in hand, he let himself turn a full half circle, back towards the chaos. Rage and anger, second nature to the storm that was the Greenwood Prince, filled his entire being and the Oropherion fixed his eyes upon the descending dragon.  
It seemed to Thranduil as though evil came in beauty, for the scales of the dragon shone majestically. The various degrees of heat that embraced him in waves seemed gracefully comforting, before pillows of fumes, ash, grey, red, orange and then molten vermillion encompassed him. Suspended in the darkness of the dragon, he felt arms forcefully pull him backwards.  
Before he succumbed to the black desolation of the night, he heard his name being bellowed at him once more before they dissipated in the echoes of thoughts in his head.  
"I see fire."


End file.
